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| “ | Ohhhh! She is here! The rare birthling! Precious child of Wyrm and Weaver! Spawn of those who dared to flee. She has found her way home... at last. How fine her shell, and Silk, and claw... For you, mother... let me claim her all for you! | „ |
| ~ Widow to Hornet. |
| “ | Crazed fanatic able to guide Pharloom's haunted Silk by music played upon it. Her body seemed a Weaver's, but her mask had been forcibly removed, and her own Silk was bound useless by heavy pins lodged through her spine. |
„ |
| ~ Widow's entry in the Hunter's Journal. |
Widow is a major antagonist in the 2025 indie metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong.
She is a crazed Weaver that, unlike most of her kin, remained loyal to Grand Mother Silk, presumably leading to her mutilation. Widow is responsible for stringing up the citizens of Bellhart on strings in attempt to appease her deity, though she is stopped after Hornet defeats her and rescues the innocent bugs.
She is voiced by Lauren Koopowitz, who also voices the Last Judge, Sister Splinter and Greyroot, among other characters in Silksong.
Appearance[]
Widow is a Weaver: an anthropomorphic spider with two arms and four legs, as well as a skeletal black body and six eyes. Unlike other Weavers, her mask was forcibly removed, forcing her to wear a grey shroud on her head in its place. Widow also has two steel pins jammed into her spine, rendering her unable to produce silk naturally.
Personality[]
Widow appears to be a wholly insane bug, completely devoted to her deity and wishing to appease her. Obsessed with bringing Silk's aspiration of uniting all of Pharloom into a hive mind to fruition, she seems more than happy to subject other bugs to painful torment as a gift to the Higher Being, expressing a somewhat sarcastic disdain towards the other Weavers that fled Pharloom. Widow also appears strangely knowledgable, being aware of Hornet's half-wyrm nature, which is why she seems so motivated to capture her as a gift for Silk.
Biography[]
Many ages ago, Widow, like the other Weavers, was forcibly evolved from a non-sapient Pharlid by Grand Mother Silk when she arrived in Pharloom, raising them as her "daughters" and worshippers. She, like the other Weavers, would maintain Silk's strength by dedicating songs played with the Needolin, a special instrument strung with the Weavers' special silk. In time, however, the Weavers grew tired of being Silk's servants and betrayed her, lulling her into a deep slumber with a spell and establishing themselves as Pharloom's new rulers.
Unlike the other Weavers, Widow appears to have remained loyal to Grand Mother Silk, remaining in Pharloom even when the others fled after realising they could never fully overcome Silk's influence. Seeing as Widow was mutilated by having her mask removed and steel pins jammed into her spine, rendering her unable to produce silk naturally, it's likely that these injuries were inflicted by the other Weavers for not following their cause, or that Widow may have done this as a twisted gesture of devotion to Silk. As masks also grant bugs their sense of identity, this is likely what drove Widow insane and made her devote herself even more to Silk. Despite this, Widow would continue serving Silk by manipulating her threads, eventually managing to entangle the entirety of Bellhart using threads descending from the Citadel, planning to offer its denizens as a gift to the Higher Being. The corpses surrounding her lair also imply that Widow has killed many pilgrims before.
When Hornet arrives in Bellhart, she witnesses Widow's handiwork and searches for a way to free them, ending up in the bell caverns above the town after venturing through Shellwood where she finds Widow's lair. Widow seems to be talking to Silk, dedicating Bellhart's citizens to her, causing Hornet to realise that while Widow isn't responsible for the Haunting, she certainly is helping its cause. Widow notices Hornet and, recognising her as half-Weaver, attacks her to bring her to Silk, beginning her boss fight. During her fight, Widow primarily attacks by pulling down bells from the ceiling to strike Hornet, as well as slashing her with her sharp claws. When her health is sufficiently depleted, Widow feigns defeat before re-entering the arena to attack Hornet again.
Despite her efforts, Widow is defeated and Hornet stabs her in the face, binding her Needolin ability and entering an ancestral memory of the Weavers, depicting their prayer to Grand Mother Silk. After she awakens, Hornet destroys the silk binding Bellhart's citizens and frees them, ending Widow's control over the town. Despite this, one of the townsfolk Pavo notes that several residents didn't fare well after getting strung up by the silk, implying that despite Hornet's efforts, many casualties resulted from Widow's actions. A memory of Widow worshipping Grand Mother Silk can also be found in the Cradle, implying that she could've been directed to start Bellhart's curse directly by Silk.
Trivia[]
- Widow's pre-fight dialogue can be skipped by taunting.
- Within the unused files of Silksong, there is a cutscene sprite sheet depicting a Weaver having her mask split in two and removed. This was likely meant to represent a memory of Widow getting mutilated and was removed for unknown reasons.
- Widow shares her boss theme and voice effects with another Weaver boss, the First Sinner, who possesses an enhanced version of the former's moveset.
- Despite needing to be defeated to obtain the Needolin, Widow has Needolin dialogue herself.
- During her Needolin dialogue, silk threads can be seen coming out of her, which means she's Haunted, despite being able to speak like any normal bug.
- In the Cradle, there is a report on a Weaver in "fourth part" being "staked to service" after being taken from the City of Steel. While some may believe that this refers to Weaver, meaning that she was brainwashed into serving Silk, the parts seem to refer to the purity of one's Weaver heritage, seeing as Hornet is referred to as a Weaver in "half part". Widow also refers to herself as "Last of the First", implying that she's the last of the first generation of Weavers left in Pharloom, meaning that she is a full-blooded Weaver.
- Additionally, the report can be interpreted as the Weaver being found "staked to service" upon being found.
External Links[]
- Widow on the Hollow Knight Wiki
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 Villains
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Hallownest The Infected Grimm Troupe Other Pharloom The Citadel Caste and its associates Silk Beings Others | ||